Posts Tagged 'disability'

It was World Cerebral Palsy Day on (Oct. 7), and I’m wearing a green shirt to promote awareness – just as the movement suggested I do. I live with CP, but in no way is it the top priority in my life nor does it tell me what I can or cannot do. That’s why I was a little conflicted on how to approach this day of awareness.

Wheelchair rugby has been a competitive sport in the US for almost 30 years and it has been an inter-national competitive sport over the last 20 years. There have been many changes to the sport of wheelchair rugby, within the game, the rules, and the equipment. However, there has also been a change that has very much impacted the sport from an athlete point of view. The inclusion of athletes with cerebral palsy (CP) have shaped or impacted the many teams in the world of wheelchair.

With the beginning of the fall season, a change in schedule always precipitates. I have now established a change in exercises, days to exercise, diet, and even rest days during the fall. Over the last three years, I have grown accustomed to having a calendar that lists my daily schedule and activities. When this happens I feel like I have switched gears from summer fun activities to hard core structure I basically have my fall season planned out for each day. This is great for me considering I just spent the summer free lancing it. I can then focus on just bringing a fun-filled attitude for when it’s time to exercise.

September 30 marks the first global awareness day of Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. As most people know, breast cancer, leukemia and diabetes are well-recognized and researched diseases. Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, on the other hand, has failed to capture the attention of researchers, even though it has been around for quite some time. The goal of the day is to help bring awareness to the disease through social media, volunteering and reaching out to news media outlets.

It is that time of the year! It is my favorite time of the year. It’s the time of year when I get to meet up with my rugby teammates and start training. Competitive athletic season is upon us. Ready or not, here it comes? Or in some people’s cases, it is already here.

September is Cerebral Palsy (CP) awareness month. Cerebral palsy is caused by an abnormal development or damage in the brain that controls movement. It affects motor function and can be classified into three groups of motor impairments; Spastic CP, Ataxic CP and Dyskinetic CP.

I know a decent amount about Cerebral Palsy or CP. After all, I live with it every day. September 4th is (or was) World Cerebral Palsy Day. Cerebral Palsy is an umbrella term describing a set of neurological disorders of varying severity that affect an individual’s movements. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood.

Anxiety is a much-misunderstood psychological condition. Some question its existence as a “real” health-disorder, leaving sufferers lost in a world that does not understand them. However, as any psychology professional knows, anxiety is as real and potentially incapacitating a disorder as depression, and – like depression – can only be healed with a well-planned mix of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), professional counseling, and medication. If properly-treated, anxiety sufferers can go on to live happy, fully-functional professional and personal lives.

On May 2 2005, when my husband woke up from surgery after his motorcycle accident and heard the words “spinal cord injury” and “paralyzed” one of his first thoughts was, I am going to walk again and that remained a theme throughout his rehab. He thought if I just work hard enough, if I just keep trying, I will walk again. If you walk through the halls of any rehab center today you would probably hear the same mantra from the majority of patients. No one wants to accept the reality that they will experience the rest of their life from a wheelchair, but that is the reality for millions of Americans.